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Vice Principal Michael Stieren sent an email informing students and parents on May 4 of an update to the school’s phone ban policy, which now extends to smartwatches, earbuds, smartglasses and other wearable tech unless otherwise directed by a teacher.
The move is an expansion of the “Off and Away During Instructional Time” policy, which required teachers to collect phones at the beginning of each class in a designated area. This policy was implemented at the start of the 2025-2026 school year in compliance with the Phone-Free School Act, which requires California school districts to adopt policies that limit or prohibit student smartphone use on campus.
“Ultimately there is a delicate balance to maintain between the responsible use of technology and the importance of human interaction and genuine learning,” Stieren wrote.. “We are proud of how our students have adapted to these changes so far.”
Stieren, who drafted the policy, said these changes were implemented to limit distraction caused by technology other than phones.
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“The idea of just telling you to put away your phone doesn’t necessarily do the thing that the law intends, which is to limit the distractions that you may be engaged in during instructional time,” Stieren said.
Math Department Instructional Lead Randolph Mercado said after meeting with the Instructional Leads from each department, the math department met and discussed the technology ban.
“We got the same information, just a little bit beforehand, so we knew about the policy as you guys were learning about it, too,” Mercado said. “Our greatest goal is to make sure that we can have a cohesive class, right? (We want a) cohesive learning environment that is limited in things that get in the way.”
Some teachers have been pushing for increased regulations on in-class technology usage. Psychology teacher Christopher Farina said he first heard about the new technology restrictions on April 29, when an email was sent out to teachers and staff by Steiren.
However, Farina said restrictions on wireless earbuds make sense.
“I like that they’re saying, ‘earbuds should not be out in public class’ unless you’re told that you’re going to need something like that,” Farina said. “We’ve been trying to push on that as teachers for years now, to ‘when we start class, (have) all devices away.’”
Students have mixed opinions about the stricter policy. Junior Elif Dogan said she is glad the school is taking a proactive approach.
“You’re not going to be able to ever successfully make sure every single student is listening to you and that is OK,” Dogan said. “If a student is not paying attention, it’s going to affect them in the future.”
But sophomore Olivia Roper said parts of the policy are frustrating.
“(the ban makes sense for) AirPods while the teacher is talking, but I don’t think there’s a reason to ban AirPods while we’re working independently because it helps me focus,” Roper said.
Still, Roper said she recognizes the need to limit technology because it can create distractions in the classroom.
“If I have my phone on me, I’m definitely more distracted and I’m more prone to look at it if it’s near me,” Roper said.
Principal Brent Kline said he doesn’t envision an even more restrictive technology policy in the future.
“I’m not convinced that a bell-to-bell policy works here at Palo Alto High School just because of kids going off campus,” Kline said. “I don’t want somebody stuck off campus, nor am I into dealing with (locking phone pouches). I think that we just all need to continue to increase awareness of what is best for (them) as a student so (they) can focus and maintain connection with teachers.”
Ultimately, Stieren said the policy is a proactive response to a fast-moving technological landscape.
“It’s not about having some sort of draconian policy whereby you can’t interact with tech ever, because that’s just unrealistic and not the world that you’re growing up in,” Stieren said. “It’s more about just honoring the spirit of the law that we’re being asked to implement, which is telling us that you need to limit device usage and device access during instructional time.”
